Video Review: Fiat 124 Spider Is Made in Japan, Polished in Italy

Based on Mazda’s MX-5 Miata, the Spider is more than a re-skin, adding what some Miata fans have long desired: a turbo engine. And that new skin turns heads.CreditCreditMartin Campbell

By Tom Voelk

July 21, 2016

FOR the last few decades, people with modest bank accounts could only dream of buying a new Italian roadster. Ferrari doesn’t make anything in the $30,000 range, except perhaps seats. At over 65K, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is attainable only after raiding the children’s college fund and selling the spouse’s Camry.

Ultimately, you’d regret both.

Save yourself the hassle of a divorce and check out the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider instead. With prices starting at $25,990, the Spider lets a couple enjoy the wind in their hair, the sun on their shoulders and the thrill of slicing though curves with a finely tuned Italian convertible. All made possible by Japan.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a wheel of Parmesan, you’ve probably heard that the 2017 Spider is largely based on Mazda’s MX-5 Miata. It’s even built in the same Hiroshima plant.

This is hardly a bad thing. Fiat takes Mazda’s magical chassis and gives it unique springs, dampers and antiroll bars for a bit more compliance, yet less body roll. Base models cost about the same, but when you move up to fancier versions, the Fiat becomes a better value by around $1,000.

The two share no sheet metal. And the Fiat gets a heart transplant. A 1.4-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine that is shipped from Italy provides the back wheels with 160 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque when tuned for the Classica and Lusso models. (The Abarth gets four more ponies.)

The 6-speed manual comes from the previous-generation Miata, its ratios matching better with the turbo motor’s torque. I’m driving the 6-speed automatic.

Full disclosure here: I’m largely transmission agnostic, but as a Miata owner myself, I miss the brilliant snickety-snick action of the manual box. An automatic is a snore in a roadster. The 124 and MX-5 are two good reasons to learn how to dance with a stick.

Although the wheelbases are the same, the Fiat is 5 inches longer than the Mazda, which explains the Spider’s extra 100 pounds. Fuel economy is essentially identical between the 124 and MX-5 at an average of 30 miles per gallon on the preferred premium fuel, according the Environmental Protection Agency. The Fiat automatic drops to 29 m.p.g. (Another reason to go with the manual, huh?)

Both cars dash from rest to 60 miles an hour in just under seven seconds, but the 124 feels more relaxed doing it. It remains tossable in the curves but more comfortable than the Miata, which performs as if it’s on its third shot of espresso. With less growl from the tailpipe, a laminated acoustical windshield and more insulation in the soft top, the Fiat is noticeably quieter, too.

There’s also the issue of design. Modern safety regulations and the existing hard points in Mazda’s structure mean the 124’s overall look is chunkier than the version of old, last produced in 1985. The rear haunches and hood bulges are reminiscent of the old one — of which Fiat says there are 8,000 still registered in the United States. It caused dozens of double takes in the week I had it, and lots of thumbs up. For those who don’t like the pinched look of the modern Miata, Fiat offers a nod toward heritage.

But inside, other than the door panels, the steering wheel and some small material upgrades, the cabin is pure Mazda. The only change to the user interface is a Fiat logo. The manual mechanism for raising and lowering the top? Yep, you guessed it — it’s the same (best to not mess with perfection).

At $29,990 as tested, the Lusso model has heated leather seats.

The Italians managed to eke out one-third of a cubic foot more room in the petite trunk, though giant Samsonites are still denied entry. While there’s enough cargo room to get couples through a weekend getaway, the case of vino from the wine tour will need to be shipped home.

Is there a better car between the two? Probably, but only the buyer can decide which it is. Whichever you might prefer, the best thing about the 124 Spider is that it gives the affordable roadster segment another choice.

Bellissimo!

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B4 of the New York edition with the headline: Head-Turning Return of an Italian Classic. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe